You're listening to Catholic Sprouts, the daily podcast for Catholic kids that strives to plant seeds of faith.

Hey there, Sprouts.

Today is Friday, February 5th, 2021.

Today is also the feast day of another early Christian martyr, St. Agatha.

Now, all week, we have been journeying with Christ from Mount Tabor, where the transfiguration occurred all the way down through Jericho, through Bethany, to Jerusalem eventually.

Yesterday we saw Jesus arrive in Bethany, and he spoke to his friend Martha.

Now, Martha's brother, Lazarus, has been dead for three days at this point when Jesus

arrives.

Jesus is deeply sad that his friend had to suffer and die, and he weeps.

But then he tells Martha something very interesting.

Martha, of course, knows that Jesus is the Messiah, that Lazarus will be raised on the last day.

And Jesus says this is true, but he also says, I am the resurrection and the life.

And remember, in the Greek, he is using the word for life. That means the divine life.

The spirit within us that we know will go on past the time when our body dies, that there will be

something about us that continues to live on. And Christ says that he is that. Now, of course, Martha believes

she makes one of the most profound statements of faith that we hear in the gospel to this point.

She says, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God. Now, what does Jesus do

next? Do you know this story? Well,

Jesus goes to the place where they have buried Lazarus. They have a tomb carved into a stone

that he is in there, but there is a large rock across the entrance. Jesus calls the people there

and orders them to remove the stone.

At first they say no, because Lazarus's body has been in there for three days. And if you can

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